“But now we have four drilling ships, we have two research ships. Now Turkey is strong” asserted the Turkish president.
Greece is “concerned” after his departure Abdulhamid Khan for investigations in the Eastern Mediterranean provocatively claimed on Thursday o Tayyip Erdogan.
“What did we do yesterday – the day before yesterday? We have guided the drilling ship Abdulhamid Khan from the (port of) Tasuju, Mersina. But Greece was very disturbed. “Hey, what is this Erdogan doing?” they said. Well, Erdogan is not doing anything… He is doing his job. And this ship is very unique in the world,” said the Turkish president.
“For years we couldn’t hire a ship with our money to drill… But now we have four drilling ships, we have two research ships. Now Turkey is strong” asserted the Turkish president.
However, it is noted that Erdogan’s statements come in the wake of “complaining” from a part of the military establishment that favors the “Blue Homeland” theory and seem to be made for internal consumption.
“It traps us in the Map of Seville”
The think tank Türk Denizcilik ve Global Stratejiler Merkezi, (Turkish Center for Maritime and Global Strategy) in its post on twitter noted after the launch of the drilling rig: “What we feared has come true! The first duty station of the Abdulhamid Khan driller is the Yörükler-1 plot, 55 kilometers off Gazipaşa. In other words, within the map of Seville, which traps us in the Gulf of Antalya… We don’t know what to say…”.
🔴 Korktuğumuz başımıza geldi!
Abdülhamid Han sond gemisinin ilk taşıt yeri Gazipaşa’nın 55 km açıngdaki Yörükler-1 Kuyusu
Yani bizi Antalya Körfezi’nin ıçin hapseden Seville Map…
Ne diyecegimizi bilemiyoruz… pic.twitter.com/ckbKe5X7hN
— TÜRK DEGS / TURK MAGS (@turkdegs) August 9, 2022
The so-called “Map of Seville” was created when the EU asked the University of Seville to map the EEZs of European states based on the 1982 Law of the Sea.
It was drawn up in the early 2000s. It records the connection of the Greek and Cypriot EEZs. That is, the maximum limits for Greece and Cyprus are defined, using the coast of each inhabited Greek island – regardless of its size and its proximity to the Turkish coast.
Syrigos: The 3 reasons that “kept” Abdul Hamid Khan on the Turkish continental shelf
The reasons why the Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan chose at this stage to keep within the Turkish continental shelf the floating drilling rig explained the Angelos Syrigos Professor of International Law and Deputy Minister of Education on SKAI TV and the show “Online”.
He clarified that this is a tactical move and that the so-called “Blue Homeland” is a strategic choice of Turkey that does not change. “However, Turkey chooses at this stage, and due to the fact that the Turkish elections are not that close, to proceed gradually with aggravation depending on the reactions it will see”, he noted.
According to the professor, the three reasons why Turkey did not do something extreme in the Aegean are:
- The diplomatic moves of Greece that created a network of pressures on Turkey, mainly from America, Germany, possibly from other countries as well.
- The determination of Athens from the military side, as the area from Crete to Kastellorizo has been closed with Notam for exercises of the Greek navy until September 7.
- The visit of a Turkish delegation to the US next week for negotiations and discussions on F-16 fighters.
Abdul Hamid Khan’s Difference with Oruch Rays
Mr. Syrigos also explained why the Abdul Hamid Khan will not follow the course of the Oruch Race in the Eastern Mediterranean.
As he said, Oruch Reis is not a drilling vessel, but a seismographic vessel, and this means that it is constantly moving over the seas carrying out surveys.
The Abdul Hamid Khan on the other hand is a drilling rig which means it anchors at a spot and then tries to drill the seabed to find natural gas or oil. “Therefore it is de facto stable,” he emphasized.
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